(Nobody will know it’s gluten free) Pumpkin Cheesecake

Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake – do I really need to convince you to read on??

Here’s what you need to start:

• 1 Janelle, who’s had a stressful week of exams
• A dash of intense desire to eat something pumpkin
• 1 boyfriend that loves cheesecake
• 1.5 hours of scouring pinterest and blogs searching for the perfect recipe
• A reliable car to drive you to Meijer at 9:30 pm for ingredients

After that you’ll need to:

Drink some coffee to be able to stay up until 1:30 am baking.
Make your boyfriend crumble about a thousand gluten free graham crackers.
Mentally prepare for the deliciousness you’re about to create.
…and come to terms with the fact that you can’t enjoy it until the next day.

Okay but on the real, here’s the recipe. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

FOR THE CRUST:
2 boxes of gluten free graham crackers
1/2 cup of butter, melted
I used Kinnikinnicks graham crackers and crushed them myself, but they do sell graham style crumbs. If you are using the crackers use a mixer to crush them and mix with the butter. Press the crust into your pan. I used two pie pans.

FOR THE FILLING:
4  eight ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
15 oz pumpkin (I used Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

Preheat your oven to 325. Use mixer to blend cream cheese and sugar. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla and continue blending. One at a time, add the eggs until fully blended. Pour the filling over your crust. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the center is set. I put a pan of water on the bottom rack of my oven to create some moisture for the cheesecake as it was baking.

FOR THE TOPPING (optional):
16 oz sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix sour cream, sugar and vanilla together while your cheesecake bakes. After 1 hour and 20 minutes remove the cake and add the topping. Return the cake to the oven for about 5 more minutes. This part is totally optional and I think next time I’ll go with out. After 5 minutes, remove from oven and allow to fully cool. Refrigerate over night.

And finally, enjoy!!!!

This was my first attempt making a cheesecake and I was very impressed! I used two recipes as inspiration but kind of did my own thing. You can find those recipes here and here. I wish I would’ve known about Jules’ pumpkin cheesecake bars recipe. It is very similar, just easier to eat!

Have you ever made a cheesecake?! What’s your favorite kind?

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Author Information: Janelle Pugh, Ohio, USA
Janelle Pugh, a medical dietetics student at the Ohio State University, is the author of Gluten Free For a Healthy Me. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter (@GFreeJanelle).